Content providing system, receiving apparatus and method, storage medium, and program

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a content providing system, a receiving apparatus and method, a storage medium, and a program, which enable to perform a variety of contents provisions. An operational terminal  21  can obtain, from a storage terminal  1 , contents corresponding to utilization information sent from an operational terminal  11  that is receiving provision of predetermined contents from a storage terminal  1 . That is, if a user  23  is interested in contents that a user  13  is watching and listening to on the operational terminal  11 , and desires to watch and listen to it, the user  23  can watch and listen to on the operational terminal  21 , the contents that the user  13  is watching and listening to, by holding the operational terminal  21  very close to the operational terminal  11 , or holding the operational terminal  11  very close to the operational terminal  21.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a content providing system, anapparatus and a method for information processing, a storage medium, anda program. In particular, the invention relates to a content providingsystem, an apparatus and a method for information processing, a storagemedium, and a program, which enable provision of contents in a varietyof simple methods.

BACKGROUND ART

There have been proposed various types of methods in which an apparatusfor providing contents (hereinafter referred to as a content providingapparatus) via an established communication path to an apparatus forutilizing contents (hereinafter referred to as a content utilizingapparatus), or in which a content utilizing apparatus receives theprovision of contents from a content providing apparatus.

However, there exists neither a method in which a first contentutilizing apparatus obtains from a content providing apparatus contentscorresponding to utilization information of contents sent from a secondcontent utilizing apparatus that is receiving provision of predeterminedcontents from the content providing apparatus, nor a method in which afirst content providing apparatus obtains from a second contentproviding apparatus contents corresponding to provision information ofcontents sent from the second content providing apparatus that isproviding predetermined contents to a content utilizing apparatus, andstores and provides them to the content utilizing apparatus.

While on the side of receiving provision of contents, when receivingcontents and displaying the received contents, or registering (storing)the displayed contents, it is usually configured so as to inquire a userabout permission thereof. That is, the user is required to answer (forexample, to input permission to a displayed dialog) every time such aninquiry is made, and therefore an operation thereof is tedious.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made with this circumstance in view, andis aimed at enabling to provide contents in a variety of simple methods.

A first content providing system of the present invention ischaracterized in the followings. A content providing apparatus includesproviding means for providing, in response to a request, contents to afirst content utilizing apparatus or a second content utilizingapparatus. The first content utilizing apparatus includes: firstrequesting means for requesting the content providing apparatus toprovide contents; first obtaining means for obtaining, in response to arequest by the first requesting means, contents provided by theproviding means of the content providing apparatus; first utilizingmeans for utilizing contents obtained by the first obtaining means; andsending means for sending, in response to a request, utilizationinformation of contents obtained by the first obtaining means to asecond content utilizing apparatus. The second content utilizingapparatus includes: second requesting means for requesting the firstcontent utilizing apparatus to provide contents; receiving means forreceiving, in response to a request by the second requesting means,utilization information sent by the sending means of the first contentutilizing apparatus; third requesting means for requesting the contentproviding apparatus to provide contents corresponding to utilizationinformation received by the receiving means; second obtaining means forobtaining, in response to a request by the third requesting means,contents provided by the providing means of the content providingapparatus; and a second utilizing means for utilizing contents obtainedby the second obtaining means.

The sending means of the first content utilizing apparatus can send thesecond content utilizing apparatus contents that are currently obtainedby the first obtaining means, or utilization information of contentsthat are currently utilized by the first utilizing means.

It is possible to have utilization information contain an ID of contentsobtained by the first obtaining means of the first content utilizingapparatus.

It is possible to have utilization information contain an ID of contentsobtained by the first obtaining means of the first content utilizingapparatus, and control information for controlling utilization ofcontents, or apparatus information indicating an apparatus that controlsutilization of contents.

The control information is to be utilization indication informationindicating predetermined utilization, or utilization permissioninformation indicating permission or non-permission of predeterminedutilization. It is possible to have the second utilizing means of thesecond content utilizing apparatus utilize contents obtained by thesecond obtaining means, on the basis of utilization indicationinformation or utilization permission information.

The utilization indication information can be taken as informationindicating utilization of any one of reproduce, stop, temporary stop,fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing of contents. The utilizationpermission information can be taken as information indicating permissionor non-permission of utilization of any one of reproduce, stop,temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing.

Utilization indication information can be taken as informationindicating utilization corresponding to utilization by the firstutilizing means of the first content utilizing apparatus.

Apparatus information is to be information indicating on apparatus ofthe content providing apparatus, the first content utilizing apparatusand the second content utilizing apparatus. It is possible to have thesecond utilizing means of the second content utilizing apparatus utilizecontents obtained by the second obtaining means, in accordance withcontrol of an apparatus indicated by apparatus information.

To the first content utilizing apparatus, it is possible to adddesignating means for designating contents obtained by the firstobtaining means. It is possible to have the sending means send, inresponse to a request, utilization information of contents designated bythe designating means, to the second content utilizing apparatus.

To the second content utilizing apparatus, it is possible to adddesignating means for designating provision of contents that arecurrently obtained by the first obtaining means of the first contentutilizing apparatus, or provision of contents that are currentlyutilized by the first utilizing means. It is possible to have the secondrequesting means request provision designated by the designating means,from the first content utilizing apparatus. It is possible to have thesending means of the first content utilizing apparatus send, in responseto a request by the second requesting means of the second contentutilizing apparatus, contents that are currently obtained by the firstobtaining means, or utilization information of contents that arecurrently utilized by the first utilizing means, to the second contentutilizing apparatus.

It is possible to add executing means for executing a predeterminedprocess, to the second content utilizing apparatus. It is possible tohave the second utilizing means stop the process if the process by theexecuting means is being executed when utilizing contents, and resumethe process when the utilization of the contents is terminated.

In the first content providing system of the present invention, by thecontent providing apparatus, contents are provided, in response to arequest, to the first content utilizing apparatus or the second contentutilizing apparatus. By the first content utilizing apparatus, provisionof contents is requested to the content providing apparatus and providedcontents are obtained in response to a request, and the obtainedcontents are utilized, and utilization information of the obtainedcontents are sent to the second content utilizing apparatus in responseto a request. By the second content utilizing apparatus, provision ofcontents is requested to the first content utilizing apparatus, andutilization information sent in response to a request is received, andprovision of contents corresponding to the received utilizationinformation is requested, and the provided contents are obtained inresponse to a request, and the obtained content is utilized.

A second content providing system of the present invention ischaracterized in the followings. A first content providing apparatusincludes: first providing means for providing, in response to a request,contents, to a second content providing apparatus or a content utilizingapparatus; and sending means for sending, in response to a request,provision information about provision of contents by the first providingmeans to the second content providing apparatus. The second contentproviding apparatus includes: first requesting means for requesting thecontent providing apparatus to provide contents; receiving means forreceiving provision information sent by the sending means of the firstcontent providing apparatus, in response to a request by the firstrequesting means; second requesting means for requesting the firstcontent providing apparatus to provide contents corresponding toprovision information received by the receiving means; first obtainingmeans for obtaining contents provided by the first providing means ofthe first content providing apparatus, in response to a request by thesecond requesting means; storing means for storing contents obtained bythe first obtaining means, and second providing means for providing, inresponse to a request, contents stored by the storing means to thecontent utilizing apparatus. The content utilizing apparatus includes:third requesting means for requesting the first content providingapparatus or the second contents requesting apparatus to providecontents; second obtaining means for obtaining, in response to a requestby the third requesting means, contents provided by the first providingmeans of the first content providing apparatus or the second providingmeans of the second content providing apparatus; and utilizing means forutilizing contents obtained by the second obtaining means.

The sending means of the first content providing apparatus can send thesecond content providing apparatus contents that are currently providedto the content utilizing apparatus by the first providing means, orcontents that are currently utilized by the first utilizing means of thecontent utilizing apparatus.

Provision information can be taken as an ID of contents provided by thefirst providing means of the first content providing apparatus.

Provision information can be taken as an ID of contents provided by thefirst providing means of the first content providing apparatus, andcontrol information for controlling utilization of contents, orapparatus information indicating an apparatus that controls utilizationof contents.

Control information is to be utilization indication informationindicating predetermined utilization, or utilization permissioninformation indicating permission or non-permission of predeterminedutilization. It is possible to have the second providing means of thesecond content providing apparatus provide contents stored by thestoring means and control information, to the content utilizingapparatus. It is possible to have the second obtaining means of thecontent utilizing apparatus obtain, in response to a request by thethird requesting means, contents and control information provided by thesecond providing means of the second content providing apparatus. It ispossible to have the utilizing means utilize contents on the basis ofcontrol information.

Utilization indication information can be taken as informationindicating utilization of any one of reproduce, stop, temporary stop,fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing of contents. Utilizationpermission information can be taken as information indicating permissionor non-permission of utilization of any one of reproduce, stop,temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing.

Apparatus information is to be information indicating one apparatus ofthe first content providing apparatus, the second content providingapparatus, and the content utilizing apparatus. It is possible to havethe utilizing means of the content utilizing apparatus utilize contentsobtained by the second obtaining means, in accordance with control of anapparatus indicated by apparatus information.

To the first content providing apparatus, it is possible to adddesignating means for designating contents provided by the firstproviding means. It is possible to have the sending means send, inresponse of a request, provision information of contents designated bythe designating means, to the second content providing apparatus.

To the second content providing apparatus, it is possible to adddesignating means for designating provision of contents that arecurrently provided to the content utilizing apparatus by the firstproviding means of the first content providing apparatus, or provisionof contents that are currently utilized by the utilizing means of thecontent utilizing apparatus. It is possible to have the secondrequesting means request provision designated by the designating meansfrom the first content providing apparatus. It is possible to have thesending means of the first content providing apparatus send the secondcontent providing apparatus, in response to a request by the secondrequesting means of the second content providing apparatus, contentsthat are currently provided to the content utilizing apparatus by thefirst providing means, or provision information of contents that arecurrently utilized by the utilizing means of the content utilizingapparatus.

In the second content providing system of the present invention, by thefirst content providing apparatus, contents are provided, in response toa request, to the second content providing apparatus or the contentutilizing apparatus. In response to a request, provision informationabout contents provision is sent to the second content providingapparatus. By the second content providing apparatus, contents provisionis requested to the first content providing apparatus. Provisioninformation sent in response to a request is received, and provision ofcontents corresponding to the received provision information isrequested to the first content providing apparatus. Contents provided inresponse to a request are obtained. The obtained contents are stored andthe stored contents are provided to the content utilizing apparatus. Bythe content utilizing apparatus, a content provision is requested to thefirst content providing apparatus or the second content providingapparatus, and contents provided in response to a request are obtainedand the obtained contents are utilized.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention ischaracterized by including determination means for determination whetherit is in a content standby-mode or not; first executing means forexecuting a utilization process, when determined as in the standby-modeby the determination means, taking it that a user's permission isobtained, and second executing means for executing a predeterminedpermission validation process for obtaining a user's permission whendetermined as not in the standby-mode by the determination means, andexecuting the utilization process when the user's permission is obtainedby that process.

The utilization process can be taken as a receiving process forreceiving contents, a display process for displaying the contents, and aregistration process for registering the contents. The permissionvalidation process can be taken as a presentation process for presentinga user a dialog for obtaining permission.

An information processing method of the present invention ischaracterized by including a determination step of determinating whetherit is in a content standby-mode or not; a first execution step ofexecuting a utilization process, when determined as in the standby-modein the determination step, taking it that a user's permission isobtained; and a second execution step of executing a predeterminedpermission validation process for obtaining a user's permission whendetermined as not being the standby-mode in the process of thedetermination step, and executing the utilization process when theuser's permission is obtained by that process.

A program of a storage medium of the present invention is characterizedby including: a determination control step of controlling determinationas to whether it is in a content standby-mode or not; a first executioncontrol step of controlling execution of a utilization process, whendetermined as in the standby-mode in the process of the determinationcontrol step, taking it that a user's permission is obtained; and asecond execution control step of controlling execution of apredetermined permission validation process for obtaining a user'spermission when determined as not in the standby-mode in the process ofthe determination control step, and controlling execution of theutilization process when the user's permission is obtained by thatprocess.

A program of the present invention is characterized by having a computerexecute process including: a determination control step of controllingdetermination as to whether it is in a content standby-mode or not; afirst execution control step of controlling execution of a utilizationprocess, when determined as in the standby-mode in the process of thedetermination control step, taking it that a user's permission isobtained; and a second execution control step of controlling executionof a predetermined permission validation process for obtaining a user'spermission when determined as not in the standby-mode in the process ofthe determination control step, and controlling execution of theutilization process when the user's permission is obtained by thatprocess.

In the apparatus and the method for information processing, and theprogram in the present invention, there is determined whether it is in acontent standby-mode or not. The utilization process is executed whendetermined as in the standby-mode, taking it that a user's permission isobtained. A predetermined permission validation process for obtaining auser's permission is executed when determined as not in thestandby-mode, and the utilization process is executed when the user'spermission is obtained by that process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of utilization of a contentproviding system to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a communication group forming information;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a control condition;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of astorage terminal 1 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of anIC tag reader/writer 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of anoperational terminal 11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of anoperational terminal 21 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating operations of the storage terminal1, the operational terminal 11, and the operational terminal 21 in theexample of utilization in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating details of the process of step S1 inFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating details of the process in step S2in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing other example of utilization of the contentproviding system to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating operations of the storage terminal1, an operational terminal 11, and a storage terminal 31 in the exampleof utilization in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating details of the process of step S102in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating other procedure of the process ofan operational terminal 11 in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating other procedure step S161 in FIG.14.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an example of utilization of a content providing system towhich the present invention is applied.

A storage terminal 1 performs, by use of a self-contained IC tagreader/writer 2, close range communication with an IC tag reader/writer12 contained in an operational terminal 11 or an IC tag reader/writer 22contained in an operational terminal 21. The storage terminal 1 suppliescommunication setting information for establishing, for example, radiocommunication of IEEE802.11 standard and, in response to a communicationsetting process in the operational terminal 11 or the operationalterminal 21 on the basis of the supplied communication settinginformation, establishes the radio communication therewith. The storageterminal 1 supplies, in response to a request, holding contents, forexample, AV data such as voices and moving images, static images such asphotographs taken by a digital camera or the like, visiting cardinformation, address information, etc., to the operational terminal 11or the operational terminal 21 via the established radio communication.

Note that the communication range in wireless LAN of IEEE802.11 standardis generally within several tens of meters.

The operational terminal 11 performs, by use of the self-contained ICtag reader/writer 12, the close range communication with the IC tagreader/writer 2 of the storage terminal 1, and receives communicationsetting information sent from the storage terminal 1, and also performsa communication establishment process based thereon, therebyestablishing the radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard with thestorage terminal 1. The operational terminal 11 receives via theestablished radio communication provision of desired contents from thestorage terminal 1, and utilizes them.

The operational terminal 11 also performs, by use of the IC tagreader/writer 12, the close range communication with the IC tagreader/writer 22 contained in the operational terminal 21, and sends theoperational terminal 21, in response to a request, communication settinginformation for establishing the radio communication with the storageterminal 1, and utilization information of contents that are beingutilized by the operational terminal 11.

The operational terminal 21 performs, by use of the self-contained ICtag reader/writer 22, close range communication with the IC tagreader/writer 12 of the operational terminal 11, and receives thecommunication setting information for establishing the radiocommunication with the storage terminal 1, and the content utilizationinformation, which are sent from the operational terminal 11. Theoperational terminal 21 establishes, on the basis of the receivedcommunication setting information, the radio communication of IEEE802.11standard with the storage terminal 1, and receives from the storageterminal 1 contents corresponding to the utilization information (forexample, the contents identical with that is being provided to theoperational terminal 11), and utilizes them.

An ID of contents (for example, an ID of contents that the operationalterminal 11 is currently receiving provision from the storage terminal1, or an ID of contents that the operational terminal 11 is currentlyutilizing) is contained in the utilization information that is sent fromthe operational terminal 11 to the operational terminal 21.

It is possible to have the utilization information contain informationfor controlling utilization of contents (control information), orinformation indicating an apparatus that controls utilization ofcontents (apparatus information).

The control information is information indicating predeterminedutilization (utilization indication information), or informationindicating permission or non-permission of predetermined utilization(utilization permission information). The operational terminal 21utilizes the contents provided from the storage terminal 1, on the basisof the control information contained in the utilization information.

The utilization indication information is information indicating, forexample, reproduce (display), stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, orrewind, or store etc. If contents are static images, the utilizationindication information is information indicating printing of the staticimages. Hereat, by having a mode of utilization indicated by theutilization indication information correspond to utilization in theoperational terminal 11, it is possible to have the utilization in theoperational terminal 21 correspond to the utilization in the operationalterminal 11.

The utilization permission information is information indicating that,for example, reproduce, stop and temporary stop are permitted, butfast-forward and rewind are not permitted. Alternatively, if contentsare static images, the utilization permission information is informationindicating that printing of the static images is permitted or notpermitted.

The apparatus information is information indicating, for example, thestorage terminal 1, the operational terminal 11, or the operationalterminal 21. The utilization of the operational terminal 21 iscontrolled by this information. That is, it is possible to configuresuch that the storage terminal 1 or the operational terminal 11 controlsa content utilization process in the operational terminal 21.

The control of the utilization process in the operational terminal 21 isexecutable by a plurality of apparatuses, and it is also changeable by apredetermined action.

Communication group forming information as information necessary whenperforming a communication setting, which is shown in FIG. 2, and acontrol condition as a control condition of the communication groupforming information, which is shown in FIG. 3, are contained incommunication setting information interchanged among the storageterminal 1, the operational terminal 11, and the operation terminal 21.

The communication group forming information (FIG. 2) is composed of anetwork name, an SSID, a WEP key, and a communication network mode.

The network name is a title for identifying communication network ofwireless LAN, and it is taken to be “TEST GROUP” in the example of FIG.2.

The SSID (service set identification) is an ID for identifying wirelessLAN of IEEE802.11 standard, and it is taken to be “0x123456” in theexample of FIG. 2. Hereat, the SSID is set to the storage terminal 1,the operational terminal 11, and the operational terminal 21,respectively, and a communication is possible only when the SSIDs ofboth communicating each other coincide.

The WEP (wired equivalent privacy) key is authentication informationnecessary for communication group participation, and it is taken to be“0x1234567890” in the example of FIG. 2. Hereat, when makingcommunication among the storage terminal 1, the operational terminal 11,and the operational terminal 21, data to be communicated is encrypted byusing a common WEP key, and then communicated. Therefore, even if thecommunication data is monitored by equipment not having the common WEPkey, the communication data cannot be decoded.

As the communication group mode, either mode of an infrastructure modeor an AdHoc mode is designated. The “AdHoc mode” is designated in theexample of FIG. 2.

The control conditions (FIG. 3) is composed of a related URI, a holdpermission, a provision permission, a communication valid period, aninformation valid period, and an information update condition.

The related URI is an URI (uniform resource identifier) related to thecommunication group forming information of FIG. 3.

The hold permission is information specifying, for example, whether,when the operational terminal 11 or the operational terminal 21 obtainsthe communication setting information, it is possible or not to holdthis communication setting information. In the example of FIG. 3, holdis “permitted”.

The provision permission is information specifying, for example, whetherit is possible or not to provide to other equipment the communicationsetting information that the operational terminal 11 or the operationalterminal 21 obtains and holds. In the example of FIG. 3, provision is“permitted”.

The communication valid period is a communication valid period in which,for example, the operational terminal 11 or the operational terminal 21can make communication by the communication setting performed on thebasis of the obtained communication group forming information. In theexample of FIG. 3, the communication is possible until it isdisconnected on May 6, 2002.

The information valid period indicates, for example, an informationvalid period of the communication group forming information itself thatis held by the operational terminal 11 or the operational terminal 21.In the example of FIG. 3, hold is possible until it is discarded on Apr.5, 2002.

The information update condition indicates an information updatecondition, in other words, indicates a condition under which thecommunication group forming information already held should be updatedto newly obtained communication group forming information, for example,if obtained communication group forming information similar to thecommunication group forming information that the operational terminal 11or the operational terminal 21 holds. In the example of FIG. 3, if allthe communication group forming information except for the WEP key areidentical, the already holding communication group forming informationis updated with the newly obtained communication group forminginformation.

In the case of this example, the communication setting information forestablishing the radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard isinterchanged via the IC tag reader/writer. It is also possible tointerchange the communication setting information by using, for example,a short range communication type device such as RF-ID IC tag radiocommunication, or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication that issubjected to expansion so as to take only a short range terminal as acommunication object by suppressing electromagnetic wave radiation; adirectional communication type device that specifies a more suitableother terminal for the purpose of directional communication not radial,such as optical communication by IrDA; or a media replacement typedevice in which information for communicating on a communicationinterface capable of communicating with other information processterminal is stored in a storage medium such as a memory stick, a smartmedia, CompactFlash (registered trademark), or an SD memory card, andthere is configured by a reader/writer corresponding to their respectivestorage media.

Further, in the case of this example, contents are sent and received viathe radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard. However, it is alsopossible to exchange contents on an IP network or the like, which isformed by use of radio communication for RF-ID IC tag (which is possiblewhen the size of contents interchanged are small), optical communicationsuch as IrDA, Bluetooth communication, IEEE802.11a, and IEEE802.11b,alternatively, cables such as IEEE1394, Ethernet (registered trademark),HomePNA, and PowerLine.

Note that when utilizing the Bluetooth communication, contents can besent and received only by the Bluetooth communication, thereby enablingto simplify an apparatus configuration.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the storage terminal 1.A CPU 51 executes a variety of processes in accordance with programsstored in a ROM 52, or programs loaded from a memory unit 59 to a RAM53. Data and the like required when the CPU 51 executes a variety ofprocesses are also properly stored in the RAM 53.

The CPU 51, the ROM 52, and the RAM 53 are connected to each other via abus 54. An input/output interface 55 is also connected to the bus 54.

To the input/output interface 55, there is connected an IC tagreader/writer 2 that communicates with the IC tag reader/writer 12 ofthe operational terminal 11 or the IC tag reader/writer 22 of theoperational terminal 21; an operation unit 56 made up of a keyboard forreceiving operational input from a user, and a mouse; a voice outputunit 57 for outputting voices; a display 58 composed of a CRT(cathode-ray tube), an LCD (liquid crystal display) and the like; amemory unit 59 for storing contents and the like, which is composed of ahard disk, etc.; and a radio communication unit 60 that performs theradio communication of IEEE802.11 standard via an antenna 61.

Further, to the input/output interface 55, as required, a drive 62 isconnected and there is suitably mounted such as a magnetic disk 71, anoptical disk 72, a magneto-optical disk 73, or a semiconductor memory74. Programs read therefrom are, as required, installed to the memoryunit 59.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the IC tag reader/writer2 of the storage terminal 1.

An antenna resonant circuit unit 81 has a resistor R1, a capacitor C1,and a coil L1, and sends an information signal generated by a processingunit 82 and electric power to an antenna resonant circuit unit of otherIC tag reader/writer (for example, the IC tag reader/writer 12 of theoperational terminal 11 or the IC tag reader/writer 22 of theoperational terminal 21). The antenna resonant circuit unit 81 alsoreceives an information signal from an antenna resonant circuit unit ofother IC tag reader/writer, and then supplies it to the processing unit82. A resonance frequency inherent in the antenna resonant circuit unit81 (hereinafter referred to as an “inherent resonance frequency”) ispreviously set to a predetermined value by the capacitance of thecapacitor C1 and the inductance of the coil L1.

A microcomputer 91 of the processing unit 82 controls respectivesections of the IC tag reader/writer 2, and has them perform a processfor sending and receiving data. An encoding/decoding circuit 92 encodesdata supplied via the input/output interface 55, as a Manchester code,and also decodes an information signal that is received and demodulatedby a decoding circuit 95, and supplies the obtained data via theinput/output interface 55 to respective sections of other IC tagreader/writer. A carrier wave generating circuit 93 generates a carrierwave to be sent to other IC tag reader/writer, and supplies it to an ASKmodulation circuit 94. The ASK (amplitude shift keying) modulationcircuit 94 performs amplitude modulation of the carrier wave suppliedfrom the carrier wave generating circuit 93, on the basis of the signalencoded by the encoding/decoding circuit 92, and then supplies it to theantenna resonant circuit unit 81.

The decoding circuit 95 decodes the signal received by the antennaresonant circuit unit 81, and supplies it to the encoding/decodingcircuit 92.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the operational terminal11. FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the operationalterminal 21. The configurations of the operational terminal 11 and theoperational terminal 21 are basically similar to the configuration ofthe storage terminal 1 shown in FIG. 4, and therefore descriptionthereof is omitted. The configuration of the IC tag reader/writer 12 ofthe operational terminal 11 and the configuration of the IC tagreader/writer 22 of the operational terminal 21 are also similar to theIC tag reader/writer 2 of the storage terminal 1 shown in FIG. 5, andtherefore depiction and description thereof are omitted.

An outline of the operations of the storage terminal 1, the operationalterminal 11, and the operational terminal 21 in the example ofutilization shown in FIG. 1 will next be described by referring to aflow chart in FIG. 8.

In step S1, when the operational terminal 11 is held very close to thestorage terminal 1, the communication setting information is sent, bynon-contact communication, from the IC tag reader/writer 2 of thestorage terminal 1 to the IC tag reader/writer 12 of the operationalterminal 11. Based on the communication setting information, the radiocommunication of IEEE802.11 standard is established between the storageterminal 1 and the operational terminal 11. The storage terminal 1supplies, in response to a request, predetermined contents to theoperational terminal 11 via the established radio communication, and theoperational terminal 11 receives the contents from the storage terminal1.

In other words, a user 13 designates contents that he/she desires towatch and listen to on the operational terminal 11 by operating, forexample, an operation unit 106 of the operational terminal 11, and thenholds the operational terminal 11 very close to the storage terminal 1.Thus, the user 13 can receive provision of the contents from the storageterminal 1, and watch and listen to them on the operational terminal 11.

Here, contents desired to watch and listen to can also be designated onthe storage terminal 1.

In step S2, for example, if the operational terminal 21 is held veryclose to the operational terminal 11 when in the process of step S1, theradio communication is established between the storage terminal 1 andthe operational terminal 11, the communication setting information sentfrom the storage terminal 1 to the operational terminal 11 in step S1,and the utilization information of the contents that are currentlyprovided, for example, from the storage terminal 1 to the operationalterminal 11 are sent, by the non-contact communication, from the IC tagreader/writer 12 of the operational terminal 11 to the IC tagreader/writer 22 of the operational terminal 21. Based on thecommunication setting information sent from the operational terminal 11to the operational terminal 21, the radio communication of IEEE802.11standard is established between the storage terminal 1 and theoperational terminal 21. The storage terminal 1 provides to theoperational terminal 21, in response to a request, the contentscorresponding to the utilization information (for example, the contentsthat are currently provided to the operational terminal 11, or thecontents that are currently utilized). The operational terminal 21receives the provision of the contents from the storage terminal 1, andutilizes them.

For example, if a user 23 is interested in the contents that the user 13is watching and listening to on the operational terminal 11, and desiresto watch and listen to them, the user 23 can watching and listening to,on the operational terminal 21, the contents that the user 13 iswatching and listening to, by holding the operational terminal 21 veryclose to the operational terminal 11, or holding the operationalterminal 11 very close to the operational terminal 21.

Since in the process herein the contents are treated as being copiedfrom the operational terminal 11 to the operational terminal 21, theprocess herein is referred to, for convenience, as a content copyprocess.

Details of the process of step S1 in FIG. 8 will next be described byreferring to a flow chart in FIG. 9.

In step S11, the CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 instructs the IC tagreader/writer 2 to initiate detection of an operational terminal. By theinstruction, the IC tag reader/writer 2 initiates output ofelectromagnetic wave for the operational terminal detection. Hereat, theoperational terminal detection may be initiated when the user 13performs a predetermined operation to the operation unit 56 of thestorage terminal 1. Alternatively, it is possible to configure so as tobe initiated when the power source of the storage terminal 1 is turnedon.

A CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 waits until the electromagneticwave for the operational terminal detection is received by the IC tagreader/writer 12 in step S21, and proceeds to step S22 when the IC tagreader/writer 12 receives the electromagnetic wave by that, for example,the operational terminal 11 (the IC tag reader/writer 12) is held inclose range of the storage terminal 1 (the IC tag reader/writer 2) bythe user 13.

The CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 has a display 108 display adialog for obtaining permission of the reception of contents in stepS22, and determines whether the reception of contents is permitted ornot in step S23.

The user 13 inputs his/her intention to permit the reception of thecontents, or his/her intention not to permit the reception of thecontents, to the dialog displayed in the process of step S22. Therefore,on the basis of the input, the CPU 101 determines whether the receptionof the contents is permitted or not.

When in step S23 it is determined that the reception of the contents ispermitted, there proceeds to step S24.

When the user 13 receives the content provision from the storageterminal 1, and watches at and listens to them on the operationalterminal 11, the user 13 inputs his/her intention to permit thereception of the contents to the dialog displayed in step S22, andtherefore proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 sends a responsesignal via the IC tag reader/writer 12 (the antenna resonant circuitunit).

The CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 waits until the response signal isreceived by the IC tag reader/writer 2 in step S12, that is, until anoperational terminal (precisely, an operational terminal that requests acontent provision) in step S12, and proceeds to step S13 when theresponse signal is received, that is, when an operational terminal isdetected, and then reads the communication setting information stored inthe memory unit 59 and supplies it to the IC tag reader/writer 2. The ICtag reader/writer 2 sends the supplied communication setting informationto the operational terminal 11.

Hereat, the CPU 51 may terminate the process of the operational terminaldetection when no operational terminal is detected within a time limit,instead of waiting until an operational terminal is detected in stepS12.

In step S25, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 waits until thecommunication setting information is received by the IC tagreader/writer 12. When it is received, the CPU 101 proceeds to step S26,and has a memory unit 109 store it.

Next, in step S27, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 controls aradio communication unit 110 so as to execute the communication settingof the radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard on the basis of thecommunication group forming information contained in the communicationsetting information stored in the memory unit 109 in step S26. At thistime, the radio communication unit 60 of the storage terminal 1executes, in step S14, a communication setting process corresponding tothe process in the radio communication unit 110 of the operationalterminal 11 in step S27. As a result, the radio communication betweenthe storage terminal 1 and the operational terminal 11 is established.

In step S28, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 controls theradio communication unit 110 so as to send a content ID of the contentsdesignated by the operation unit 106 (the contents that the user 13desires to watch and listen to on the operational terminal 11) to thestorage terminal 1 via the radio communication established in theprocess of step S27.

The CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 reads the contents having thecontent ID sent from the operational terminal 11, from the memory unit59 in step S15, and also controls the radio communication unit 60 so asto initiate sending of the read contents to the operational terminal 11.That is, the data of the contents designated by the user 13 is sent fromthe storage terminal 1 to the operational terminal 11 via the radiocommunication established in step S14. Thereafter, the process of theCPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 is terminated.

In step S29, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 controls theradio communication unit 110 so as to initiate receiving of the data ofthe contents sent from the storage terminal 1.

Next, in step S30, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 has thedisplay 108 display a dialog for obtaining permission of the display ofthe contents that are currently received. In step S31, it determineswhether the display of the contents is permitted or not.

The user 13 inputs his/her intention to permit the display of thecontents, or his/her intention not to permit the display of thecontents, to the dialog displayed in the process of step S30. Therefore,on the basis of the input, the CPU 101 determines whether the display ofthe contents is permitted or not.

When it is determined that the display of the contents is permitted instep S31, there proceeds to step S32, and the CPU 101 of the operationalterminal 11 initiates a display process for displaying the receivedcontents on the display 108. Thus, the user 13 can watch and listen tothe designated contents.

When it is determined that the display of the contents is not permittedin step S31, or when the display process for displaying the contents isinitiated in step 32, there proceeds to step S33, and the CPU 101 of theoperational terminal 11 has the display 108 display a dialog forobtaining permission of registration of the received contents.

In step S34, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 determineswhether the registration of the received contents is permitted or not.The user 13 inputs his/her intention to permit the registration of thecontents, or his/her intention not to permit the registration of thecontents, to the dialog displayed in the process of step S33. Therefore,on the basis of the input, the CPU 101 determines whether theregistration of the contents is permitted or not.

When it is determined that the content registration is permitted in stepS34, there proceeds to step S35, and the CPU 101 of the operationalterminal 11 initiates process for registering (storing) the receivedcontents, or the received and displayed contents in the memory unit 109.

When it is determined that the reception of the contents is notpermitted in step S23, or when it is determined that the registration ofthe contents is not permitted in step S34, or when the registrationprocess for registering the contents is terminated in step S35, theprocess of the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 is terminated.

As above, the storage terminal 1 provides predetermined contents to theoperational terminal 11 via the established radio communication, and theoperational terminal 11 receives the provision of the contents from thestorage terminal 1.

Details of the process (the copy process from the operational terminal11 to the operational terminal 21) of step S2 in FIG. 8 will next bedescribed by referring to a flow chart in FIG. 10.

The CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 instructs, in step S61, theIC tag reader/writer 12 to initiate detection of an operationalterminal. By that instruction, the IC tag reader/writer 12 initiatesoutput of the electromagnetic wave for the operational terminaldetection.

The operational terminal detection herein may be initiated when theradio communication between the storage terminal 1 and the operationalterminal 11 is established in the process shown by the flow chart inFIG. 9. Alternatively, it is possible to configure so as to be initiatedwhen a predetermined operation to the operation unit 106 of theoperational terminal 11 is executed by the user 13.

In step S71, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 determineswhether the electromagnetic wave for the operational terminal detectionoutputted from the operational terminal 11 by the IC tag reader/writer22 is received or not, and proceeds to step S72 when the IC tagreader/writer 22 receives the electromagnetic wave by, for example, thatthe operational terminal 11 (the IC tag reader/writer 12) is held inclose range of the operational terminal 21 (the IC tag reader/writer 22)by the user 13, or that the operational terminal 21 is held in closerange of the operational terminal 11 by the user 23.

In step S72, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 has the display158 display a dialog for obtaining permission of the reception of thecontents. In step S73, it determines whether the reception of thecontents is permitted or not.

When it is determined that the reception of the content is permitted instep S73, there proceeds to step S74, and the CPU 151 of the operationalterminal 21 sends a response signal via the IC tag reader/writer 22 (theantenna resonant circuit).

The CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 waits until the responsesignal is received by the IC tag reader/writer 12 in step S62, andproceeds to step S63 when the response signal is received.

In step S63, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal sends theoperational terminal 21, via the IC tag reader/writer 12, thecommunication setting information that is stored in the memory unit 109in step S26 in FIG. 9, sent from the storage terminal 1, and theutilization information containing, for example, a content ID of thecontents that are currently provided from the storage terminal 1.Thereafter, the process of the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 isterminated.

Hereat, the content ID that is sent as the utilization information tothe operational terminal 21 is not limited to the content ID of thecontents that the operational terminal 11 is currently receivingprovision, and may be a content ID of other contents corresponding tothat contents.

In step S75, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 waits until thecommunication setting information or the like is received by the IC tagreader/writer 22. When that is received, the CPU 151 proceeds to stepS77, and has the memory unit 159 store it.

Next, in step S77, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 controlsthe radio communication unit 160 so as to execute the communicationsetting of the radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard, on the basisof the communication group forming information contained in thecommunication setting information stored in the memory unit 159 in stepS76 (i.e., the process for establishing the radio communication with thestorage terminal 1). At this time, the CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1controls, in step S51, the radio communication unit 60 so as to executethe radio communication setting process corresponding to the process inthe radio communication unit 160 of the operational terminal 21 in stepS77. As a result, the radio communication between the storage terminal 1and the operational terminal 21 is established.

In step S78, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 controls theradio communication unit 160 so as to send the content ID received instep S75 to the storage terminal 1 via the radio communicationestablished in the process of step S77.

The CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 reads the contents having thecontent ID sent from the operational terminal 21, from the memory unit59 in step S52, and also controls the radio communication unit 60 so asto initiate sending of the read contents to the operational terminal 21.In other words, the contents that has been provided so far to theoperational terminal 11 is also provided (copied) to the operationalterminal 21.

The process of the CPU 51 of the storage terminal 1 is terminatedthereafter.

In step S79, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 controls theradio communication unit 160 so as to initiate receiving of the contentsto be sent from the storage terminal 1.

Next, in step S80, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 has thedisplay 158 display a dialog for obtaining permission of the display ofthe contents that are currently received, and determines whether thedisplay of the contents is permitted or not in step S81.

When it is determined in step S81 that the display of the contents ispermitted, there proceeds to step S82, and the CPU 151 of theoperational terminal 21 initiates a display process for displaying thereceived contents on the display 158.

When in step S81 it is determined that the display of the contents isnot permitted, or when the display process is initiated in step S82, theCPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 has the display 158 display adialog for obtaining permission of registration of the received contentsin step S83.

In step S84, the CPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 determineswhether the registration of the contents is permitted or not. When it isdetermined that the registration of the contents is permitted, the CPU151 proceeds to step S85 and initiates the process for registering(storing) the received contents in the memory unit 159.

When it is determined in step S73 that the receiving of the contents isnot permitted, or when it is determined in step S84 that theregistration of the contents is not permitted, or when the registrationprocess of the contents is terminated in step S85, the process of theCPU 151 of the operational terminal 21 is terminated.

As above, the contents that have been provided to the operationalterminal 11 is copied onto and utilized in (displayed on and registeredin) the operational terminal 21.

Hereat, disconnection of the radio communication between the storageterminal 1 and the operational terminal 11 is properly performed afterthe process of step S63. For example, this is executable by temporarilydisconnecting the close range communication after the radiocommunication establishment, and resuming it by having the storageterminal 1 and the operational terminal 11 be close together again.

In the foregoing, the content ID is contained in the utilizationinformation. However, as described above, it is possible to have theutilization information contain the control information for controllingutilization of contents (utilization indication information indicatingpredetermined utilization, or utilization permission informationindicating permission or non-permission of predetermined utilization),and the apparatus information indicating an apparatus that controlsutilization of the contents.

In the case of having the utilization information contain the controlinformation, by setting, for example, the same utilization as theutilization of the contents that are currently be done in theoperational terminal 11, to the control information, it is possible tohave the operational terminal 21 utilize the contents in the similarcondition as the operational terminal 11.

After the content provision to the operational terminal 21 is initiated,it is also possible to continue the content provision to the operationalterminal 11. When the content provision to the operational terminal 21is initiated, it is also possible to stop the content provision to theoperational terminal 11.

In the foregoing, it is predetermined that the contents to be providedto the operational terminal 21 is the contents that the operationalterminal 11 is currently receiving provision from the storage terminal1, and there is configured such that the ID of that contents is sent instep S63. Therefore, the operational terminal 11 could perform sendingof the ID of the contents in step S63, without waiting, for example, acontent designation from a user.

However, it is also possible to designate the contents to be provided tothe operational terminal 21 by the operational terminal 11 or theoperational terminal 21. For example, it is possible to designatecontents that the operational terminal 11 is currently utilizing, orcontents or the like that the operational terminal 11 is currentlyreceiving provision from the storage terminal 1.

In the meanwhile, if the operational terminal 21 is already executingother process (for example, in the case of receiving and displaying atelevision broadcast) when utilizing contents to be provided from thestorage terminal 1, it is also possible, after stopping that process, toperform process for utilizing the above-mentioned contents, and resumethe stopped process when the utilization of the contents is terminated.

FIG. 11 shows other example of utilization of a content providing systemto which the present invention is applied.

A storage terminal 1 performs, by use of a self-contained IC tagreader/writer 2, close range communication with an IC tag reader/writer12 contained in an operational terminal 11, and sends communicationsetting information for establishing radio communication of IEEE802.11standard, and establishes radio communication with the operationalterminal 11, in response to a communication setting process in theoperational terminal 11 on the basis of the sent communication settinginformation. The storage terminal 1 provides holding contents to theoperational terminal 11 via the established radio communication.

The storage terminal 1 also performs, by use of the IC tag reader/writer2, the close range communication with an IC tag reader/writer 32contained in a storage terminal 31, and sends the storage terminal 31the communication setting information for establishing the radiocommunication with itself, and the communication setting information forestablishing the radio communication with the operational terminal 11,as well as provision information of the contents provided to theoperational terminal 11.

The storage terminal 1 establishes the radio communication with thestorage terminal 31, in response to the communication setting process inthe storage terminal 31 on the basis of the sent communication settinginformation. The storage terminal 1 provides, for example, the samecontents as the contents that are being provided to the operationalterminal 11, to the storage terminal 31 via the established radiocommunication.

The storage terminal 31 performs, by use of the IC tag reader/writer 32,the close range communication with the IC tag reader/writer 2 containedin the storage terminal 1, and receives the communication settinginformation that is sent from the storage terminal 1 in order toestablish the radio communication with the storage terminal 1, and thecommunication setting information for establishing the radiocommunication with the operational terminal 11, together with theprovision information.

The storage terminal 31 performs the communication setting process basedon the received communication setting information for establishing theradio communication with the storage terminal 1, thereby establishingthe radio communication with the storage terminal 1. Then, the storageterminal 31 receives from the storage terminal 1 the provision of thecontents corresponding to the provision information (for example, thecontents that the storage terminal 1 is providing to the operationalterminal 11), and stores them.

The storage terminal 31 performs, in response to a request, thecommunication setting process based on the obtained communicationsetting information for establishing the radio communication with theoperational terminal 11, thereby establishing the radio communicationwith the operational terminal 11. Then, the storage terminal 31provides, via the radio communication, the contents provided from thestorage terminal 1 to the operational terminal 11.

An ID of the contents (for example, an ID of the contents that thestorage terminal 1 is currently providing to the operational terminal,or an ID of the contents that the operational terminal 11 is currentlyutilizing) is contained in the provision information of the contentssent from the storage terminal 1 to the storage terminal 31.

It is also possible to have the provision information containinformation for controlling utilization of contents (controlinformation), or information indicating an apparatus that controlsutilization of contents (apparatus information).

The control information is, as in the case of the example of FIG. 1,information indicating predetermined utilization (utilization indicationinformation), or information indicating permission or non-permission ofpredetermined utilization (utilization permission information). Thestorage terminal 31 is able to have the operational terminal 11 executethe utilization of the contents on the basis of the control information,by sending the operational terminal 11 the control information togetherwith the contents.

The apparatus information is information indicating, for example, thestorage terminal 1, the operational terminal 11, or the storage terminal31. The storage terminal 31 is able to have the operational terminal 11execute the utilization of the contents on the basis of the control ofan apparatus indicated in the apparatus information, by sending theoperational terminal 11 the operational information together with thecontents.

The configuration of the storage terminal 31 is similar to theconfiguration of the storage terminal 1 (FIG. 4), and the configurationof the IC tag reader/writer 32 is similar to the configuration of the ICtag reader/writer 2 (FIG. 5), and therefore, their respective depictionsand descriptions are omitted.

An outline of the operations of the storage terminal 1, the operationalterminal 11, and the storage terminal 31 in the example of utilizationshown in FIG. 11 will next be described by referring to a flow chart inFIG. 12.

In step S101, the similar process as in the case of step S1 in FIG. 8 isperformed, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted.That is, the radio communication of IEEE802.11 standard is establishedbetween the storage terminal 1 and the operational terminal 11. Thestorage terminal 1 provides predetermined contents to the operationalterminal 11 via the established radio communication, and the operationalterminal 11 receives the provision of the contents from the storageterminal 1.

In step S102, when the radio communication between the storage terminal1 and the operational terminal 11 is being established in the process ofstep S101, for example, if the storage terminal 31 is held very close tothe storage terminal 1, the communication setting information forestablishing the radio communication with the storage terminal 1 andprovision information are sent, by non-contact communication, from theIC tag reader/writer 2 of the storage terminal 1 to the IC tagreader/writer 32 of the storage terminal 31. If the radio communicationof IEEE802.11 standard between the storage terminal 1 and the storageterminal 31 is established on the basis of the communication settinginformation, the storage terminal 1 provides, in response to a request,the storage terminal 31 contents corresponding to the provisioninformation (for example, the same contents as the contents that arebeing provided to the operational terminal 11), and the storage terminal31 obtains provision of the contents from the storage terminal 1 andstores them.

Since the communication setting information for establishing the radiocommunication with the operational terminal 11 is sent, by thenon-contact communication, from the storage terminal 1 to the storageterminal 31, the storage terminal 31 is able to provide the contentsthat have been provided from the storage terminal 1 and then stored, byperforming the similar process as the storage terminal 1 shown in FIG.9, to the operation terminal 11 in response to a request.

In other words, if a user 33 is interested in, for example, contentsthat a user 13 is watching and listening to, and desires to obtain it,the user 33 can store, in the storage terminal 31, the contents that theuser 13 is watching and listening to, by holding the operationalterminal 31 very close to the storage terminal 1, or the holding thestorage terminal 1 very close to the storage terminal 31. The user 13 isalso able to obtain the provision of contents from the storage terminal31.

Also in the process herein, since the contents are treated as beingcopied from the storage terminal 1 to the storage terminal 31, thisprocess is referred to, for convenience, as a content copy process.

The process of step S102 in FIG. 12 will next be described by referringto a flow chart in FIG. 13.

In step S111, the storage terminal 1 instructs the IC tag reader/writer2 to initiate detection of an operational terminal. Concretely, the ICtag reader/writer 2 initiates to output electromagnetic wave foroperational terminal detection. Hereat, the operational terminaldetection may be initiated when the user 13 performs a predeterminedoperation to the storage terminal 1. Alternatively, it is possible toconfigure so as to be initiated when the power source of the storageterminal 1 is turned on.

The storage terminal 31 waits until the electromagnetic wave foroperational terminal detection is received by the IC tag reader/writer32 of the storage terminal 31 in step S121, and proceeds to step S122when the IC tag reader/writer 32 receives the electromagnetic wave bythat the storage terminal 1 (the IC tag reader/writer 2) is held inclose range of the storage terminal 31 (the IC tag reader/writer 32), orthat the storage terminal 31 is held in close range of the storageterminal 1.

In step S122, the storage terminal 31 displays a dialog for obtainingpermission of the reception of contents and, in step S123, determineswhether the reception of the contents is permitted or not.

When it is determined in step S123 that the reception of the contents ispermitted on the basis of the input to the dialog, there proceeds tostep S124, and the storage terminal 31 sends a response signal via theIC tag reader/writer 32.

The storage terminal 1 waits until the response signal is received bythe IC tag reader/writer 2 in step S112, and proceeds to step S113 whenthe response signal is received.

In step S113, the storage terminal 1 sends the storage terminal 31 viathe IC tag reader/writer 2, the communication setting information forestablishing the radio communication with itself, which is stored in thememory unit 59, (the communication setting information supplied to theoperational terminal 11 in step S13 of FIG. 9), and the communicationsetting information for establishing the radio communication with theoperational terminal 11, as well as the provision information including,for example, a content ID of the contents that are currently providingto the operational terminal 11.

Hereat, the content ID to be sent to the storage terminal 31 asprovision information may be, instead of being restricted to the ID ofthe contents that are currently providing to the operational terminal11, an ID of other contents related thereto.

The storage terminal 31 waits until the communication settinginformation or the like is received by the IC tag reader/writer 32 instep S125, and when it is received, proceeds to step S126 and stores it.

Next, in step S127, the storage terminal 31 performs the communicationsetting process based on the communication setting information that wasstored in step S126 in order to establish the radio communication withthe storage terminal 1. At this time, the storage terminal 1 executes,in step S114, the communication setting process corresponding to theprocess in the storage terminal 31 in step S127. As a result, the radiocommunication is established between the storage terminal 1 and thestorage terminal 31.

In step S128, the storage terminal 31 sends the content ID received instep S125 to the storage terminal 1 via the radio communicationestablished in the process of step S127.

The storage terminal 1 reads from the memory unit 59 the contents havingthe content ID sent from the storage terminal 31, and initiates sendingof the read contents to the storage terminal 31, in step S115. That is,for example, the contents that have been provided so far to theoperational terminal 11 is also provided (copied) to the storageterminal 31.

In step S129, the storage terminal 31 initiates receiving of contentssent from the storage terminal 1.

Next, in step S130, the storage terminal 31 displays a dialog forobtaining permission of registration of the received contents. In stepS131, it determines whether the registration of the contents ispermitted or not.

When it is determined in step S131 that the registration of the contentsis permitted on the basis of the input to the dialog, there proceeds tostep S132, and the storage terminal 31 initiates process for registeringthe received contents.

When it is determined in step S123 that the reception of the contents isnot permitted, or when it is determined in step S131 that theregistration of the contents is not permitted, or when the process ofregistering the contents is terminated in step S132, the process of thestorage terminal 31 is terminated.

As above, the storage terminal 1 provides also to the storage terminal31, for example, the same contents as the contents that are beingprovided to the operational terminal 11, and the storage terminal 31receives the provision of the contents from the storage terminal 1, andstores them. Further, the storage terminal 31 is able to provide, inresponse to a request, the contents stored on the reception of provisionfrom the storage terminal 1, to the operational terminal 11.

Since the storage terminal 31 stores the communication settinginformation for establishing the radio communication with theoperational terminal 11 in step S126, it can perform provision ofcontents to the operational terminal 11 in the similar process as theprocess of the storage terminal 1 shown in FIG. 9.

Although in the foregoing the content ID is contained in the provisioninformation, it is possible to have the provision information containthe control information for controlling utilization of contents(utilization indication information indicating predeterminedutilization, or utilization permission information indicating permissionor non-permission of predetermined utilization), and the apparatusinformation indicating an apparatus that controls utilization ofcontents, as described above.

Although in the foregoing, it is predetermined that the contents to beprovided to the operational terminal 31 are the contents that theoperational terminal 11 is currently receiving provision from thestorage terminal 1, and there is configured such that the ID of thatcontents is sent in step S113. Therefore, the storage terminal 1 couldperform sending of the ID of the contents in step S113, without waiting,for example, contents designation from a user.

However, contents to be provided by the storage terminal 31 can also bedesignated by the storage terminal 1 or the storage terminal 31. Forexample, it is possible to designate contents that the operationalterminal 11 is currently utilizing, or contents or the like that theoperational terminal 11 is currently receiving provision from thestorage terminal 1.

Meanwhile in the process of receiving data (contents) as describedabove, such as the process of the operational terminal 11 in FIG. 9, theprocess of the operational terminal 21 in FIG. 10, and the process ofthe storage terminal 31 in FIG. 13, respective permissions to receivecontents to be sent, to display the received contents, and to registerthe displayed contents are determined on the basis of the input to thedialog.

In other words, a user is required to provide input of his/her intentionto give permission or intention not to give permission every time adialog is displayed, and its operation is tedious.

The user's operation can be simplified by, for example, performing theprocess of the operational terminal 11 in FIG. 9, in a procedure shownin a flow chart of FIG. 14.

That is, in step S151, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 waitsuntil an electromagnetic wave for operational terminal detection isreceived by the IC tag reader/writer 12, and proceeds to step S152 whenthe electromagnetic wave is received.

In step S152, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 determineswhether the operational terminal 11 is in a content standby-mode or not.The content standby-mode of the operational terminal 11 is to be set bya predetermined operation to the operation unit 106, which is previouslyexecuted by the user 13. The CPU 101 is to make a determination in stepS152, by determinating for example whether such setting is stored in thememory unit 109 or not.

When it is determined in step S152 that the operational terminal 11 isin the content standby-mode, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11sends a response signal via the IC tag reader/writer 12 (the antennaresonant circuit).

Since in step S154 to step S157 there is performed the similar processas in the case of step S25 to step S28 in FIG. 9, description thereof isomitted.

In step S158, the CPU 101 of the operational terminal 11 initiatesreceiving of contents sent from the storage terminal 1, and in stepS159, initiates a display process for displaying the received contentson the display 108. Then, in step S160, the CPU 101 initiates processfor registering (storing) the displayed contents in the memory unit 109.

In other words, when the operational terminal 11 is in a contentstandby-mode, respective permissions to receive the contents, to displaythe contents, and to register the contents are not requested to a user.Therefore, the user can receive, display, and register the contents by asimple operation.

When it is determined in step S152 that the operational terminal 11 isnot in the content standby-mode, there proceeds to step S161, and thesimilar process as in step S22 to step S35 in FIG. 9 are performed.

Hereat, in place of the process in step S22 to step S35 in FIG. 9, whichare executed in step S161, it is also possible to perform process asshown in FIG. 15.

That is, in this case, a dialog for obtaining permission to receivecontents is displayed in step S171. However, when it is determined instep S172 that the reception of the contents is permitted, none ofpermission to display the contents and permission to register thecontents are requested to a user, and the contents is displayed andregistered in step S179 and step S180, respectively.

Although the operation on receiving side is described in FIG. 14 andFIG. 15, for example, the above-mentioned sequence of processes are alsoexecutable by hardware, and they can also be executed by software. Inthe case of having software execute the sequence of processes, it isinstalled from a program storage medium to a computer in which a programconfiguring the software is incorporated into a dedicated hardware, or ageneral-purpose personal computer or the like capable of executing avariety of functions by installing various programs.

This storage medium is configured not only by package media includingmagnetic disks 71, 131, 171 (including a floppy disk), optical disks 72,132, 172 (including a CD-ROM (compact disc-read only memory), and a DVD(digital versatile disk)) magneto-optical disks 73, 133, 173 (includingan MD (mini-disc)), or semiconductor memory 74, 134, 174, each of whichis provided for providing a program to a user, apart from a computer, asshown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, but also by ROMs 52, 102, 152 in which aprogram is stored, and a hard disk contained in the memory units 59,109, 159, each of which is provided to a user in a state of previouslybeing incorporated into a computer.

In the present specification, the step of describing a program to beprovided by a medium includes, of course, the process performed in timeseries in described sequence, as well as the process executed inparallel or individually, even if it is not necessarily executed in timeseries.

Additionally in the present specification, the term system implies theentire apparatus configured by a plurality of apparatuses.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to a first aspect of the present invention, it is capable ofproviding contents in a variety of methods.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is capable ofproviding contents in a variety of methods.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is capable ofeasily process obtained contents.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A content providing system comprising a firstcontent providing apparatus and a second content providing apparatus forproviding contents, and a content utilizing apparatus for receiving acontent provision from said first content providing apparatus or saidsecond content providing apparatus, characterized in that: said firstcontent providing apparatus comprises: first providing means forproviding, in response to a request, contents to said second contentproviding apparatus or said content utilizing apparatus, and sendingmeans for sending, in response to a request, provision information aboutsaid content provision by said first providing means, to said secondcontent providing apparatus, said second content providing apparatuscomprises: first requesting means for requesting said first contentproviding apparatus to provide contents; receiving means for receivingsaid provision information sent by said sending means of said firstcontent providing apparatus, in response to a request by said firstrequesting means; second requesting means for requesting said firstcontent providing apparatus to provide contents corresponding to saidprovision information received by said receiving means; first obtainingmeans for obtaining said contents provided by said first providing meansof said first content providing apparatus, in response to a request bysaid second requesting means; storing means for storing said contentsobtained by said first obtaining means; and second providing means forproviding, in response to a request, contents stored by said storingmeans, to said content utilizing apparatus, and said content utilizingapparatus comprises: third requesting means for requesting said firstcontent providing apparatus or said second content providing apparatusto provide contents; second obtaining means for obtaining said contentsprovided by said first providing means of said first content providingapparatus or said second providing means of said second contentproviding apparatus, in response to a request by said third requestingmeans; and utilizing means for utilizing said contents obtained by saidsecond obtaining means.
 13. The content providing system as set forth inclaim 12, characterized in that: said sending means of said firstcontent providing apparatus sends said second content providingapparatus said contents that are currently provided to said contentutilizing apparatus by said first providing means, or said provisioninformation of said contents that are currently utilized by saidutilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus.
 14. The contentproviding system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that: saidprovision information is an ID of said content provided by said firstproviding means of said first content providing apparatus.
 15. Thecontent providing system as set forth in claim 12, characterized inthat: said provision information is an ID of said contents provided bysaid first providing means of said first content providing apparatus,and control information for controlling utilization of contents, orapparatus information indicating an apparatus that controls utilizationof contents.
 16. The content providing system as set forth in claim 15,characterized in that: said control information is utilizationindication information indicating predetermined utilization orutilization permission information indicating permission ornon-permission of predetermined utilization, said second providing meansof said second content providing apparatus provides said controlinformation with said contents stored by said storing means to saidcontent utilizing apparatus, said second obtaining means of said contentutilizing apparatus obtains said contents provided by said secondproviding means of said second content providing apparatus and saidcontrol information, in response to a request by said third requestingmeans, and said utilizing means utilizes said contents on the basis ofsaid control information.
 17. The content providing system as set forthin claim 16, characterized in that: said utilization indicationinformation is information indicating utilization of anyone ofreproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, orprinting of said contents, and said utilization permission informationis information indicating permission or non-permission of utilization ofany one of reproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind,store, or printing.
 18. The content providing system as set forth inclaim 15, characterized in that: said apparatus information isinformation indicating one apparatus of said first content providingapparatus, said second content providing apparatus, and said contentutilizing apparatus, and said utilizing means of said content utilizingapparatus utilizes said contents obtained by said second obtainingmeans, in accordance with control of said apparatus indicated by saidapparatus information.
 19. The content providing system as set forth inclaim 12, characterized in that: said content utilizing apparatusfurther comprises designating means for designating said contentsprovided by said first providing means, and said sending means sends, inresponse to a request, said provision information of said contentsdesignated by said designating means, to said second content providingapparatus.
 20. The content providing system as set forth in claim 12,characterized in that: said content utilizing apparatus furthercomprises designating means for designating provision of said contentsthat are currently provided to said content utilizing apparatus by saidfirst content providing means of said first content providing apparatus,or provision of said contents that are currently utilized by saidutilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus, said secondrequesting means requests said provision designated by said designatingmeans, from said first content providing apparatus, and said sendingmeans of said first content providing apparatus sends said secondcontent providing means, in response to a request by said secondrequesting means of said second content providing apparatus, saidcontents that are currently provided to said content utilizing apparatusby said first providing means, or said provision information of saidcontents that are currently utilized by said utilizing means of saidcontent utilizing apparatus.
 21. An information processing apparatus forexecuting a plurality of utilization processes requiring a user'spermission, to contents sent from a sending apparatus, characterized bycomprising: determination means for determining whether said informationprocessing apparatus is in a contents standby-mode or not; firstexecuting means for executing said utilization process, if saiddetermination means determines that said information processingapparatus is in said standby-mode, assuming that a user's permission isobtained; and second executing means for executing a predeterminedpermission validation process for obtaining a user's permission if saiddetermination means determines that said information processingapparatus is not in said standby-mode, and executing said utilizationprocess if the user's permission is obtained by that process.
 22. Theinformation processing apparatus as set forth in claim 21, characterizedin that: said utilization processes are a receiving process forreceiving said contents, a display process for displaying said contents,and a registration process for registering said contents, and saidpredetermined permission validation process is a presentation processfor presenting a user a dialog for obtaining said permission.
 23. Aninformation processing method of an information processing apparatus forexecuting a plurality of utilization processes requiring a user'spermission, to contents sent from a sending apparatus, characterized bycomprising: a determination step of determining whether said informationprocessing apparatus is in a content standby-mode or not; a firstexecution step of executing said utilization process, if the process ofsaid determination step determines as in said standby-mode, assumingthat the user's permission is obtained; and a second execution step ofexecuting a predetermined permission validation process for obtaining auser's permission if the process of said determination step determinesas not in said standby-mode, and executing said utilization process if auser's permission is obtained by that process.
 24. A storage medium inwhich a computer readable program is stored, characterized in that: saidprogram is a program of an information processing apparatus forexecuting a plurality of utilization processes requiring a user'spermission, to contents sent from a sending apparatus, said programcomprising: a determination control step of controlling determination asto whether said information processing apparatus is in a contentstandby-mode or not; a first execution control step of controllingexecution of said utilization process, if the process of saiddetermination control step determines as in said standby-mode, assumingthat a user's permission is obtained; and a second execution controlstep of controlling execution of a predetermined permission validationprocess for obtaining a user's permission if the process of saiddetermination control step determines as not in said standby-mode, andcontrolling execution of said utilization process if the user'spermission is obtained by that process.
 25. A program of an informationprocessing apparatus for executing a plurality of utilization processesrequiring a user's permission, to contents sent from a sendingapparatus, characterized by having a computer execute a processcomprising: a determination control step, executed by the computer, ofcontrolling determination as to whether said information processingapparatus is in a content standby-mode or not; a first execution controlstep, executed by the computer, of controlling execution of saidutilization process, if the process of said determination control stepdetermined as in said standby-mode, assuming that a user's permission isobtained; and a second execution control step, executed by the computer,of controlling execution of a predetermined permission validationprocess for obtaining a user's permission if the process of saiddetermination control step determines as not in said standby-mode, andcontrolling execution of said utilization process if the user'spermission is obtained by that process.